Verve City Church: Weekly Messages

Having looked at partial gospels as being unsatisfying, we turn to secular narratives — beliefs about reality that most cultural institutions hold as truth — and find that they are ultimately unsatisfying as well. What we need isn’t a partial gospel or an unsatisfying cultural narrative. What we need is Jesus and the gospel he proclaimed. And it’s what our friends need as well. 

When we think about inviting other people to participate in faith, we need to ask: what specifically are we inviting them into? We are surrounded by competing gospels. In week one, we’ll describe five different gospels versions that are often taught in the United States: 1) the evangelical gospel 2) the reformed gospel 3) the social justice gospel 4) the political gospel and 5) the prosperity gospel. The power of each of these is that they all contain some truth. But what if the good news of Jesus is actually better than any of them? 

Community can be beautiful, but it’s also messy. How do we bring our whole selves into a group of people? Our strengths, our weaknesses, our doubts, our certainties: these are some of the elements that make up who we are. How do we trust that other people can handle all of that, and how are we able to handle all that others may bring? What does community look like when we disagree? When we see things differently? Is it even possible that these differences can make us better together? 

Great community and friendships appear to be all win: who doesn’t want a group of people to be known and loved by? But a fuller understanding of community recognizes something more: community requires sacrifice. If we truly are better together, how will we have to reorient our lives, our time, and our ideologies in order to build the community that our souls so desperately need?

We weren’t built to live life alone. We’re social creatures who flourish most when we are together: celebrat-ing, eating, partying — together. But also: struggling, mourning, questioning — together. Our challenge is that building true community around us is both necessary and difficult. How can we live our lives and engage with other people in such a way that we become better together?

The  Scriptures  speak  constantly  of  human flourishing:  it’s  God’s  desire  that  we  live well  and  connect  well  relationally  with  him  and  with  others.  But  what  happens  when we don’t? The Old Testament book of Daniel contains multiple stories that point to a singular point: human beings lose their humanity when they don’t connect with God. Tragedy occurs when created beings lose touch with their creator.

There’s  a  fascinating  story  in  the  Hebrew  Scriptures  about  idolatry:  what  happens when we take a good thing and make it an ultimate thing. An entire nation is coerced into  bowing  down  to  a  golden  image  that  represents  the  empire  and  the  king,  but three  young  men  choose  to  resist.  What  kind  of  faith  does  it  take  to  go  against  the flow?  To  be  surrounded  by  people  engaged  in  unhealthy  and  ultimately  destructive behavior,  but  to  choose  to  do  otherwise?  And  what  role  does  God  play  in  our  lives when we resist the allure of ultimately misplaced allegiance?

Life is full of suffering, pain, and disappointments. Rearing kids is hard; work is hard; aging, sickness, and death are hard. The Hebrew Bible tells the story of Daniel and of the great disappointments and challenges (even threats to his life!) that he faced.Daniel’s story teaches us that our greatest struggles can lead to our greatest breakthroughs... and that the point of suffering is often the point of transformation. Daniel’s story ultimately foreshadows the cross of Jesus, who paradoxically teaches us that dying to self is how we truly live.

It is not an easy thing to own our past and move toward something better. It takes courage to lead and influence people who have seen both our triumphs and our failures. The Gospels contain a peculiar story that has far-reaching implications for us today: what do you do when Jesus asks you to influence the very people who have seen you at your worst?

Most of us are raised to be "brave," but only in a way that doesn’t involve risking rejection or failure. This can lead us to avoid anything resembling vulnerability, which involves uncertainty, risk, and emotional exposure. But the life of King David has a lesson for us: it is only in opening ourselves up to God that he can lead us to new heights.